Congressman Steny Hoyer penned this poem for "Read Across America Day."

This special day is held every March 2, both to honor Dr. Seuss’ birthday and to encourage kids of all ages to read. So, read on …

Good Readers Make Good Leaders
by Congressman Steny Hoyer

Come children, gather near,
Because it is that time of year.
Time for us to grab a book,
And read and read and look and look.
Books can teach us so much stuff,
They build our brains and make us tough.
Trust me now, I know what I say,
So hurry, hurry - read a book a day.
The people here in Washington DC,
I must say, we all agree.
To be a good national leader,
First you must be an excellent reader.
If you sit and read a book,
You can learn to be a cook.
You can learn how to grow a peach,
You can learn why sand is on the beach.
A book will tell you why the sky is blue,
I bet you didn’t know that, did you?
A book will tell you how to build a chair,
or you could learn how to cut your dog’s hair.
And so my dear children remember today,
All of the things that I had to say.
I meant what I said and I said what I meant
A reader is terrific, 100 percent!

The World Up-Close!

Things look different from up close. Do you recognize the close-ups below? What are they?Answers at bottom.

Need a hint? It hops.

Need a hint? It holds something

Need a hint? It doesn’t go quack.

Word Match

A compound word is a word made up of two different words. For example, doghouse = dog + house.

Can you make compound words using the words below? Draw a line from the word in the left column to the word in the right column that makes it a compound word. Do you see how the meaning changes? Our answers are below, but can you find other compound words by mixing and matching?

Kids' Calendar

Learn to Love Trees Fri. March 5 (1-3pm)-Kids ages 8-9 learn about trees & our ecosystem. Discover what you can do about forest loss. Patuxent Research Refuge N. Tract, Rt. 198 btwn. BW Pkwy. & Rt. 32. Free; rsvp: 410/674-3304.

Get Printed Submit by March 5-Students in grades K-12 put pen to paper on the theme "Your World in the Year 2000" for Maryland Writers’ Assn.’s new publication, Brain Storm: A Magazine of Young Writers. Try your hand at original fiction, poetry, short stories, plays & essays; if you win, you see your words in print: 410/263-5038.

Hang Homes for Bluebirds Sat. March 6 (9-noon)-Kids ages 7+ build homes for bluebirds by helping to put up nest boxes. Bring a parent. Watkins Nature Center, Upper Marlboro. Free: 301/249-6202.

Sample Summer Sat. March 6 (1-3pm)-Looking for something to do this summer? Infants to age 14 get hands-on demos of week-long camps & classes of Anne Arundel Community College’s Youth Expo & Explore events. Fun on tap includes Kindermusik, Sports Jamboree, Dancing on Broadway, Smithsonian T-Rex, Time Warp, Mars City Alpha & more. Register here; make sure your parents bring all info. AACC, Arnold: 410/541-2325.

Beaver Builders Sat. March 6 (5-6:30pm)-Kids ages 8+ discover how beavers create marshes and how they’ve adapted to our environment. Patuxent Research Refuge North Tract, Rt. 198 btwn. BW Pkwy. & Rt. 32. Free; rsvp: 410/674-3304.

Do the Funky Chicken Sun. March 7 (2-3pm)-Explore how birds’ feet and bills are adapted to finding & eating their food. Fun & games include using beak-like tools to gather various foods of your own. Battle Creek Cypress Swamp, Port Republic. rsvp: 410/535-5327.

Experience the Poland of Old March 7 & 21, April 18 & May 2 (1-4pm)-Check out a huge display of Polish art & artifacts in Walters Art Gallery’s new exhibit, Land of the Winged Horsemen: Art in Poland, 1572-1764. Kids explore heraldry & tapestry design in Renaissance Court. More fun is listed in Good Bay Times. At the Walters, 600 North Charles St., Baltimore. $4 ages 6-17; $10 adults; kids under age 6 free; group discounts: 410/547-9000.

Eat and Run Mon. March 8 (1-2pm)-Kids ages 5-7 explore predators & prey thru interactive fun. Patuxent Research Refuge North Tract, Rt. 198 btwn. BW Pkwy. & Rt. 32. Free; rsvp: 410/674-3304.

Track Critters Tues. March 9 (4:30-5:30pm)-Kids ages 8+ learn tracking skills by learning how to search for, find & interpret animal clues. Patuxent Research Refuge North Tract, Rt. 198 btwn. BW Pkwy. & Rt. 32. Free; rsvp: 410/674-3304.

Preschoolers Storytime March 9 & 11 (10:30am)- Preschool kids meet in Preschoolers Storytime. Bowie Kindermusik teacher Gail Trafelet leads a sing-along March 9 & Carol Spaulding shows what you can be when you grow up March 11. Borders, Bowie: 410/352-5560.

Pool Party March 9 & 13 (10-10:30am)-Kids ages 2-3 learn about animals living in & around ponds. Play with puppets, hear a story, watch live animals & make a craft. Battle Creek Cypress Swamp, Port Republic. rsvp: 410/535-5327.

Prize Pigs, Ribbon Recipes & Young Love March 12-14 & 19-21 (7pm FSa; 2pm Su)-Go to the State Fair, Children’s Theatre of Annapolis’ production of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Broadway musical. An Iowan farm family goes to the state fair, & while parents compete for blue ribbons, 2 teens find love. Pascal Ctr., Anne Arundel Community College, Arnold. $8 w/discounts: 410/757-2281.

Jiggy Irish Jam rsvp for March 13 (6:30-10:30pm)-Kids ages 8-12 boogie down at Shamrock Jam, a special pre-teen St. Patrick’s dance. Wear green, groove to a DJ, scarf refreshments, play games & compete for prizes. Sponsored by Calvert Co. Parks & Rec. Mt. Hope Community Ctr., Sunderland. $6; rsvp: 410/257-6770.

Win Big with a Duck Stamp Submit by March 15-Win your share of $3,000+ in cash and prizes in the 1999 Maryland Federal Jr. Duck Stamp Contest. Public and private school students in grades k-12 -- divided into 5 categories -- create original, hand-drawn designs. Entries are limited to North American ducks, geese or swans; Hawaiian Koloa; Laysan Duck; or Nene Goose. You can’t do loons or mute swans. Entries are exhibited and judged at the Patuxent Wildlife Art Show, March 26-27. The winner moves on to the national level w/a trip to DC for the Federal Duck Stamp Contest; the winner there gets $2,500 and the design is printed as a full-color commemorative stamp: 301/454-1461.

Answers to Close-ups: A) grasshopper (leg); B) aluminum can (or a soda can); C) goose (its bill)
Answers to Word Match: matchbox; candlesticks, flagship, flameproof, paperweight, rattlesnake; seaweed; grapevine